Closing In
by Airanke
Summary: Parting ways is never easy and always difficult - but one single moment could become a life-long commitment. Kojyuro, Kasuga, Masamune, Oichi & Suzu. WARNING: lemons & lime inside.
1. Chapter 1

Song inspiration for this one-shot is "Closing In" by Imogne Heap. I liked the song so much I listened to it on repeat the entire time I wrote this. Which was over the course of about... a week.

First lemon I'm submitting here... speaking of lemon...

**Warning: the following story contains a lemon.** Though it's not as graphic as some of the ones I've read on here... *shudders at the memories*

Second try writing one. Might have to go edit the first on I wrote, just because I'm a perfectionist like that.

Characters are Kasuga and Kojyuro; set pre-Kenshin, so I'm assuming Kasuga still works for Kai. Anyway... I tried.

* * *

**Closing in**

'_I wonder what he's doing here, of all places, just lying there,'_ the kunoichi in the trees stared down at the man in front of her. He was lying against a large tree trunk, his breathing heavier then normal. She tilted her head, not caring that her long blonde strands of hair hung down. He was asleep, so she felt it wasn't important for her to try and stay hidden.

'_I wonder if he's all right. His looks like he's been in a battle… hm…'_ her young mind got the better of her. She jumped down from the safety of her perch to observe the man more closely. Just to satisfy her curiosity.

His dark brown hair was originally swept away from his face – she could tell from the way it was now unkempt, falling against his forehead. His eyes were closed tightly as if he were in pain, his brows furrowed back. The kunoichi's motherly instincts kicked in. She carefully brushed his hair away from his forehead, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. His skin was warm.

'_He must have a fever!'_ she rested herself on her knees, moving the collar of his brown coat to the side. Aside from the jacket being a deep ice blue on the inside, there looked to be nothing wrong on the right side of his neck and face; she wiped away some sweat that had broken out over his forehead. Slowly she turned his head to the other side and suppressed her gasp.

It wasn't the scar on his left cheek that startled her; it was the puncture wound near his chin that caught her eye. A few thin lines of blood trickled out of the wound, which was purple and blue around the edges. She leaned in closer to have a better look when the man shifted.

She withdrew, her heart hammering in her chest. She peeked around the tree she had fled behind to look at him and saw that his eyes were cracked open a bit.

'_He must be poisoned. He's _got_ to be poisoned. I can make an antidote but I doubt he – h-hey! Where is he going!'_ she stared at him in worry as he rose shakily to his feet and started walking off. She waited two minutes before following after him, scampering swiftly up a tree.

'_Obviously he is a samurai. I have to be very careful,'_ she furrowed her brows, grabbing her long strands of hair in one hand while she pulled her headband off with the other. She gathered the long strands together behind her head, twisting them up and together to form a bun, which she then tied in place with her headband. She flicked her bangs into a more suitable position, and then continued in her pursuit of the injured samurai.

'_Taking care of him shouldn't be a problem. I just have to make an antidote, give it to him and leave,'_ she spotted a herb that she would need for the antidote and after seeking her target out with her eyes, she decided that he was far enough ahead for her to grab the plant without him noticing.

Quickly she descended from the tree she was in to the ground. She reached down the stalk of the plant, holding tightly onto the plant near the roots and yanking as hard as she could, fully uprooting it from the ground. Her eyes returned to her quarry – he hadn't noticed her yet.

'_I'm surprised he hasn't noticed me yet. Or maybe he has and he's just not bothering to pay any attention,'_ she furrowed her brows, clenching her fist around the plant, _'maybe he's on the move because I'm following him.'_

She sprang into the nearest tree, stuffing the plant into a pouch on her hip. As she followed him through the woods she came across the other herbs she would need to make the antidote. She collected them swiftly and stealthily, careful not to be noticed by the samurai twenty feet ahead.

He suddenly came to a stop next to a tree, pressing his hand against the trunk and gasping in air. She refrained from approaching him – despite her wish to – and thought she heard him gag a few times before he continued on his way. She narrowed her eyes.

'_I should knock him out or something… he needs to stop moving! The poison is just going to move more quickly through his blood,'_ she was about to rush him when an abandoned house came into view. The man stumbled, collapsing to one knee. To keep herself from going to him, the kunoichi dropped out of the tree she was in, careful to stay behind him and out of his view.

'_If he goes into that abandoned machiya, that will work to my advantage. I can make the antidote out here and administer it to him while he's asleep,' _as she thought this she watched him proceed towards the building. The O-do was broken, the wooden panels of it popping out like the wood had expanded. He struggled briefly with the kugurido before it squeaked open. In he went, not bothering to pull the door shut.

'_Good, he still doesn't know I'm here…'_ she felt around in her hip-pouch, mentally ticking off the herbs, _'I should move away a bit since I have to make a fire. I don't want to alert him but…'_ her eyes drifted to the door again, _'I should check on him quickly.'_

She moved towards the broken O-do, peering in through the cracks between the expanded wood panels. She could make out his large shadow in the back of the room.

'_Right, he probably won't be moving any time soon. I should move before he guesses that I'm here,' _she ducked and sprinted to the left. When she was about fifty feet away from the machiya she stopped and laid out her herbs.

"I need some small twigs… maybe a few leaves… I need water too…" she scampered around, finding two rocks to grind the herbs with and a good amount of dry twigs. She cleared a small area of dead leaves until she found soil, then she positioned her twigs on the bare ground.

"Flint, flint, where's my flint? Ah! Found it," she got her fire started and as it burned she ground up the herbs.

"I'll use some of my water. It won't take me too long to get back to Kai from here. I'm done my mission early so," she poured her ground herbs carefully into the flash she carried with her, "I have time to take care of the samurai."

She attached her flash to a stick – she'd used it on many occasions to boil water –and held it over her fire. While boiling the water and the herbs she rummaged around in one of her other hip-pouches for a vial she could pour some of the liquid into. Once she found it she unstopped it and set it to the side.

It took thirty minutes for the water to boil. After the allotted five-minute time she was trained to give the herbs to disperse their medicinal attributes into the water she pulled her flash towards herself.

"I hate how hot this thing gets," she muttered to herself as she poured some of the liquid into the vial. It was a lovely green color, the color it was supposed to be. She filled the vial almost to the top before she put the small stopper back in.

"This is a good amount for now. I'll wait for this to cool then…" she looked up at the darkening sky, "then I'll go take care of the wayward samurai."

Her bangs flopped down into her eyes. She pouted before remembering that her headband was holding her long strands in a bun above her head. She tugged it out, flinching at the slight pain – her hairs had gotten very tangled when she'd hurriedly tied the strands back. Once she settled her hair properly with her headband in place, she tapped the vial gingerly with her fingers.

"Feels cool enough. Right! I'll head back over to the machiya. Hopefully he won't be going anywhere any time soon," she laughed to herself as the easily scaled a tree, "who am I kidding? He's poisoned! And he looks smart enough not to move around too much while poisoned."

As she sprinted through the trees, she thought about how she would give it to him. If she had a kimono with her she could have pretended to be a civilian – but her blonde hair would prove a problem. Civilians didn't wear their hair the way she did. If he was asleep she could wake him and convince him to drink the antidote while he was groggy.

She leapt around to the front of the house, furrowing her brows when she saw that the kugurido had been closed.

'_He could of course, choose to be difficult and stubborn. I'll see if I can get in through the back,'_ she decided, leaping from tree to tree around the building. Once she reached the back, she searched for an entrance she could fit through. She found a medium hole that looked like it could fit a large dog.

She crawled through it as quietly as she could. Poisoned samurai or not, she knew better then to assume the slightest sound wouldn't awaken him.

Now that she was inside the abandoned machiya she had to be sure not to step on any twigs or loose wood.

'_Perhaps I should just crawl,'_ she thought, _'that way my hands will feel anything that I should move first.'_

She didn't like how long it took her to get to the main room where the samurai was, nor did she like how close she ended up being to him when she reached the area. A quick glance at him told her that he knew someone was following him: his katanas were very close to his left hand. He had draped his jacket over his shoulders and was resting against the wall.

The dark in the room didn't grant her the ability to see his face but she knew his eyes were closed. She hopped away from him.

'_Got no choice, I better add some sleeping powder to this,'_ she quickly unstopped the vial and sprinkled some of the white powder into the liquid. She replaced the cap and gave the vial a few shakes to mix the powder in.

'_That should be good…'_ she looked up from the vial and saw bright green eyes staring at her from where the samurai was.

'… _well damn. He's definitely well-trained…'_ she bit her lip and stood, _'no point in me pretending like I'm not here; he already knows.'_

"I'm not here to hurt you, samurai," she said. She watched as his bright eyes narrowed and she heard the sound of him grabbing the hilt of his katana.

"Like hell I'll believe that," he rasped. She bit her lip – the poison was affecting him badly already.

"You'll have to believe it whether you like it or not. I know you're poisoned. I've already made an antidote," she spoke calmly, though she was afraid that he wouldn't believe anything she said.

"I know better then to trust you, kunoichi. You were following me earlier, weren't you?"

"You may know better then to trust me but you have no reason not to trust me. I made an antidote and, as a shinobi, I would have killed you immediately instead of following you," she tilted her head to the side, taking a small step towards him, "my name is Kasuga."

Kasuga knew about the honor that bound a samurai – the honor that bound any warrior – that when the enemy gave their name, they should give theirs as well. She could tell from the way he narrowed his eyes that he was honor bound.

"Kojyuro," he muttered. Kasuga let herself smirk a little.

'_He'll only give me his first name. I see,'_ she made her way towards him but halted when he moved into a crouched position. She clenched her teeth.

'_So, Kojyuro-sama is choosing to be difficult. Too bad for him that I'm stubborn; I'm giving this antidote to him whether he likes it or not,'_ she walked around to stand in front of him. His eyes followed her movements.

"It would be in your best interest to have the antidote, Kojyuro-sama. I've already seen your wound. The poison will have spread even more throughout your system because you moved."

"I have high immunity to poison. I'll be fine without that antidote," he informed her, his fist tightening over the hilt of his katana. Kasuga bravely took several steps closer to him. She gave him an authoritative look; she refused to give him a choice in the matter.

"Even if you have high immunity, Kojyuro-sama, that won't stop the poison from affecting you. Though that should be obvious enough," she jumped back when he threw a dagger at her. The weapon spun to the front of the room behind Kasuga. From the way he breathed in and out Kasuga knew she had offended him.

She subtly pulled a smoke bomb out of the pouch on the back of her hip. Kojyuro was already on his feet, his coat falling off his shoulders. It crumpled into a heap on the floor.

'_Even though he's poisoned I doubt he's lost much of his strength. And he looks very strong. I have to disrupt his vision,'_ she jerked her arm out from behind her back and whipped the small ball into the floor a few inches from his feet. He moved back a step and cursed when white smoke filled the room. Kasuga knew she was taking a few unnecessary risks but she had no choice – she had to know how well he could move, hear and see in order to get close enough to force him to drink the antidote.

She was to his right in the billowing smoke; she clicked her tongue, testing his hearing.

"Don't mock me, kunoichi!" he snarled. Kasuga gasped when his hand shot out of the smoke, aimed right for her face.

'_His hearing is obviously unaffected. Damn it!'_ she ducked out of the way, grabbing his wrist tightly in her hand. She jerked him forward, noting with some relief that he was off balance. She quickly felt along his arm until she found his shoulder. The smoke was already beginning to clear and Kasuga quickly thrust her palm into his chin, knocking his head back.

Kojyuro staggered but remained on his feet. Kasuga lowered her shoulder as he regained his balance. He was not pleased; Kasuga could tell that much from his expression. She released his wrist and threw herself into his chest, throwing him completely off balance and onto the floor.

She straddled his chest as soon as he was on the ground, her hand once again grasping his wrist tightly. She slipped a finger into the hooped end of the first kunai her right hand came in contact with and held it at his throat. When he recovered from the pain of being slammed into the hard wood floor his eyes widened upon seeing her on top of him.

"In case it wasn't clear earlier, Kojyuro-sama, I'm not giving you a choice," she told him slowly, making sure he understood her completely. He was taking her antidote and she wasn't going to have it any other way. It wasn't like her to just leave someone injured when she had it in her power to help them.

"I don't need it," he hissed, grabbing her wrist in his large hand. Even in the dark light she could see the beads of sweat that had broken out over his forehead. His grip wasn't as strong as it could be. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't lie to yourself. You're already sweating, your grip on my wrist is weak – it's obvious to _me_ that you should have been able to over-power me already! Do I have to point out everything that's being affected by the poison to you in order to get you to drink this?" she demanded. He cringed, his grip on her wrist lessening.

Kasuga swiftly raised a foot and held his right hand down with it so she could get the vial out of her pouch. She was thankful that it hadn't broken yet. When Kojyuro saw the vial the grip on her wrist increased almost ten-fold. She flinched, but refused to show she was in pain. He had a very strong grip when he wanted to have one.

'_Don't be difficult,'_ she wanted to tell him, _'just drink this and then I'll leave.'_

Kojyuro didn't wish to co-operate with her, probably because he wasn't telepathic and couldn't read her mind. His eyes were fixated on the vial in her hand.

'_There's no way he'll just drink this. But he has to drink it! I won't leave until it's down his throat and in his system…'_ she allowed herself a small smile; it caught his attention. The grip on her wrist lessened again.

Kasuga brought the vial up to her mouth, pulling the stopper out with her teeth. She let the stopper fall silently to the floor. She tilted her head back a bit, but not too far. She wanted to keep her eyes on him as she emptied the contents of her vial into her mouth. Kojyuro's eyes slowly widened – he knew exactly what she planned to do now.

'_If you're going to be difficult, then I'll just have to kiss you,'_ she glared at him as she tossed the vial to the side, _'I'd like to see you try and stop me, Kojyuro-sama.'_

She jerked her right hand out of his grip, throwing his hand to the side. Her other hand grabbed his jaw, preventing him from moving his head. She tried to hold his other hand down without releasing her kunai, but he moved his hand away from her and thrust his palm at her chest.

He knew that if he hit her chest, she would be forced to spit out her antidote. She cringed but didn't hesitate – her kunai stopped his hand and held it down after she slammed it with all her might into the floor. He made a strained sound of pain.

Kasuga took no chances; the hand under her foot was crushing her instep with a vice grip. She smashed her lips to his, giving him a hard look with her amber eyes. He glared back, his lips tight under hers.

'_Don't be difficult Kojyuro-sama,'_ she rubbed her lips against his, pulling down on his jaw with her hand. His grip on her foot released and his mouth dropped open. She opened her mouth as well, letting her antidote pour into his mouth. He'd closed his eyes, completely resigned to the fact that she wasn't letting him have it his way.

Kasuga angled her mouth against his, her tongue slipping into his mouth. She couldn't help having a little taste of him. She pulled back with a small purse of her lips.

He sputtered, gasping in air. He blinked his eyes rapidly, giving her a half-hearted glare.

"You… put something… in that… damn it…"

"Just some sleeping powder, Kojyuro-sama," she leaned down closer to him, "clearly you don't trust me so I had to put you to sleep. I'll… take this out when you're –"

"Just pull it out, kunoichi. It's not… like I can't… handle the pain…" his eyes were drooping now – Kasuga feared she may have put in a little too much of the sleeping powder.

'_Can't worry about that now,'_ she grasped the hilt of the kunai. She thought about informing him that she was going to pull the weapon out but thought against that, instead giving him an apologetic look. Kojyuro was already nodding off.

Kasuga pressed both of her feet against Kojyuro's forearm, grabbing the kunai in both hands. She yanked and it came out of the floor and his hand easily. He made no sound though his face contorted with pain. Kasuga quickly bandaged his hand.

'_Should I stay?' _she wondered as she laid his arm by his side. He was a handsome man, especially when he wasn't glaring at her. When his face was relaxed he looked so kind. She debated with herself inwardly. Part of her wanted to stay with Kojyuro and find out more about him while the other part of her, bound by duty, wished to return to Kai and take a much needed break in the closest onsen.

'_I should check that wound on his neck quickly,'_ she pulled herself out of her thoughts and carefully pushed his head to the right so she could look at the left side of his face. She hissed in sympathy at the look of the wound. It looked worse then it had earlier. She wrapped his neck in bandages as best she could, then returned to brooding.

She soon found herself falling asleep in a different room of the machiya, after she had struggled to move Kojyuro closer to the wall and draped his coat over him like a blanket.

'_Ah well… guess I'll stay here for another day at least… I'm so tired anyway…'_ she closed her eyes, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. Her sleep was dreamless, and she was awoken hours later by the chirping of the birds outside.

She crept out of the room, peering into the main room. Kojyuro was still asleep against the wall, sunlight spilling over his form. He looked very approachable in that light.

Kasuga found herself smiling as she changed the bandages on his hand. She regretted having to pin him down like that, but it had to be done.

'_If only I had a needle and some thread with me… well, I guess I could use my technique…'_ she looked closely at his face, making sure he was asleep before she used the technique. Unlike most other shinobi her element was light, and there were certain things she discovered she could do with the element of light that couldn't be done with the element of dark.

She molded a small orb into her hand and worked quickly, afraid that if she didn't the light from her orb would wake him up. She didn't want anyone to know that she could use such a technique – not even Sasuke knew.

When she was finished with the wound it was mostly closed, though he'd get a scar from it for sure. She was about to pour some of her water over his hand to clean off the dry blood, but remembered that it was all antidote-mixture inside.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. She glared at Kojyuro's sleeping form.

"You stay right here and don't go _anywhere _at all; I'll be right back," she informed him before she left through the kugurido. She rushed around the woods, looking for a river, which she eventually found in a clearing sixty meters from the machiya. She emptied her flask on the plants nearby and refilled it with the cool running water from the river, after rinsing it once.

On her way back to the machiya, Kasuga spotted several fat birds resting on a large tree branch. She quirked an eyebrow at them.

'_I'm not hungry but I'm sure Kojyuro-sama will be hungry when he wakes up… I'll snag one of these birds,'_ she picked out the one in the middle, silently getting within range. She tensed when the birds did and after a few seconds of waiting she threw a kunai directly at the one in the middle. The sharp weapon speared the bird through, and the others fled from the branches.

She caught the bird as it fell out of the tree. While she made her way back to the machiya she plucked the feathers off the bird, leaving them behind on the ground. She stopped outside the machiya to gut the bird, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

It took her another half an hour to get the bird prepared on a stick and cooking over a fire. She watched it out of boredom, poking it absentmindedly with a stick.

'_I should have washed his wounds first then cooked the bird… stupid me,'_ she pouted the entire time the bird cooked. Once it was done she set it to the side on a large leaf.

She walked into the machiya, looking around for Kojyuro. He was sitting up in the same place she had left him, fingering the bandages around his neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are the bandages too tight?" Kasuga asked, quickly going to his side. He blinked at her in surprise.

"They are a little tight, yes," he answered her question, watching her closely as she removed the bandages around his neck. His eyes widened briefly when she unstopped her flask and poured water over his hand.

"Er…" Kasuga looked around for something to wipe the water away with. She heard him release a soft laugh, a light blush rising to her cheeks at the sound.

'_What a pleasant sound…' _she thought she looked back at him to find that he was wiping his hand off with his coat, a gentle smile on his lips.

"I thought you were going to leave, kunoichi," he said, his eyes boring into hers once again. She looked away, eyebrow twitching in irritation at him calling her 'kunoichi'.

"Well, I _was_ going to but…" Kasuga chewed on her lip. She couldn't tell him that she just didn't have it in her to leave him here all alone. He was busily observing his hand, flexing it. No doubt he was wondering how the hole had closed so quickly.

"I was going to but since I'd finished my mission early I supposed I would stay a day longer. Why are you out here by yourself?" she asked quickly to prevent him from probing her about her mission. He quirked his eyebrow at her, his smile fading. Kasuga swallowed lightly.

"You don't have to tell me I was just wondering how you could have gotten poisoned –"

"My lord is young and stupid. He's run off somewhere and so I'm left looking for him," he interrupted, dabbing at his neck with his coat. He watched her like a hawk.

It was uncomfortable under his intense gaze, so Kasuga excused herself and went to get the bird. She was glad to see that no other animal had sniffed it out and taken it. She brushed the leaf over it and carried it back into the room. He quirked his eyebrow at her again when she approached him with the bird, settling on her knees next to him.

"Are you hungry?" she asked nervously, smiling at him as he stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Quite," he replied after a moment, eyes still locked on hers. She swallowed, offering him the small bird.

"It hasn't really got any seasoning on it but I hope you like it regardless," she informed him, laughing softly, closing her eyes.

'_He's probably going to think it's absolutely horrible. My cooking skills have never ever been any good what so ever,'_ she thought, waiting for him to take the small bird. Instead of feeling him take the cooked bird from her hands she felt his hand on her cheek. Her eyes snapped open and she was caught in his mesmerizing green gaze.

"I'm hungry, but not for that, Kasuga," he told her softly. Her lips quivered. She tried to ignore the fact that he had suddenly started calling her by her name.

"But –" he pressed his lips to hers before she could begin her sentence. She dropped the bird on the floor as his tongue easily slid past her lips. Her eyes widened. He pulled back, a string of saliva between their mouths.

Kasuga's cheeks felt very warm; her mouth remained partially open. His hand moved to the back of her head, pulling her towards him, his tongue probing into her mouth again. Her eyes slid shut, her greasy fingers pressing to his cheeks. He leaned over her, forcing her to straighten out her legs and lie on the wood floor.

She protested against being forced to lie against the hard floor; it was uncomfortable. His hand moved from behind her head to the middle of her back, giving her some comfort. His lips were rough against hers, the force with which he kissed her bruising. She pressed her hands against his shoulders, forcing him to separate from her.

"Hn, K-Kojyuro-sama," she gasped through breaths. He wasn't paying much attention to her, with his face buried in her neck. She saw the grease on his cheek and couldn't resist licking it off. She could feel his mouth on her neck, searching for a way to pull the leather around her neck away from her skin. He found the zipper, she guessed, and closed his lips around it, pulling it down.

He lipped her neck, leaving feather-light kisses down the column of her throat. She tipped her head back, breathing heavily; her body had never felt so hot before. His heated breaths were only making the warmth worse as he breathed against her neck.

"Kojyuro-sama the floor is – quite uncomfortable," she told him in a strained voice. The wood in the floor was digging into her exposed back. His tongue licked up her neck before he raised his head.

"Uncomfortable?" for a man of his size he was fast. Kasuga found herself propped against the wall, Kojyuro in front of her. He had one hand cupped under her thigh, his eyes holding her gaze. She draped her arms over his shoulders, glad that he let her.

"Is this more comfortable for you, Kasuga?" he asked in a husky voice. She nodded her head, giving him a smile as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

"You may want to be careful of my kunai, Kojyuro—" his lips cut her off before she could finish with the honorific.

He kissed her until her lungs burned and her head felt light. She tugged roughly on his hair in an attempt to get him to back off, but he merely growled at her, a primal sound in the back of his throat. The growl made Kasuga shudder.

'_But… I can't… breathe…'_ she bit down on his tongue, making him growl again. His hips ground against hers, almost painfully so and she couldn't help releasing a cry of pain into his mouth. It was then that he finally separated from her, leaving her to gulp in much needed oxygen.

Kasuga rested her head against the wall as she gasped in air. Kojyuro was like a dragon: powerful, dominating and aggressive.

Her eyes fluttered open, so she could look at him out of the corner of her eyes. She caught a brief glimpse of his expression before his nose began skimming her neck. She cautiously touched her fingertips to his head. He made no reaction, so she stroked him.

He tried to get closer to her, which made her smile; he was already close, too close almost, holding her securely to the wall with his body alone. She liked how gentle he was being now.

'_I guess he's aware that… maybe he was being too rough…'_ she could feel his warm fingers prodding at her stomach and she giggled. He raised his head to look at her.

Embarrassed, Kasuga ducked her head, trying to hide her blush, "I – I'm a little ticklish, Kojyuro."

He didn't respond to her; instead, he smiled, his fingers brushing over her stomach again. His hands then proceeded further along her ribs and under her leather suit. Kasuga shook in anticipation, her body expectant. Waiting.

She tightened her thighs around his hips while he slid his hands slowly up her waist and over her breasts, eventually pushing her leather suit down her arms. She pulled her arms out of the sleeves, not wanting to have the suit create a tight bond around her. She removed her gloves herself, dropping them on the floor.

Kojyuro hesitated, his eyes focused on her neck, his hands flexing on her shoulders. Kasuga tilted her head at him in confusion.

He jerked away from the wall, prompting Kasuga to wrap her arms tightly around his neck. His strong arms coiled around her back and he carried her away from the wall. At first she thought he was going to set her on the floor but he only crouched down to retrieve his jacket before he started moving again, away from the main room.

While he moved Kasuga worked at pulling away his shirt. Once she'd tugged the top open, she pushed the sleeves onto his biceps, but he refused to remove his arms from around her.

Her amber eyes looked over his now exposed chest. He was a well-built man, broad and sturdy. She pressed her fingers into his shoulders, feeling how tense his muscles were. He stopped walking and rolled his head; Kasuga heard his neck crack.

She massaged his shoulders, pleased when his head dropped against her chest. He released his jacket onto the floor and lowered her down onto something soft. She sighed contently, relaxing against the downy blankets, guiding his shirt down his arms until it came off. As she tossed the shirt to the side she lifted her head to kiss his neck. He nuzzled her temple, one of his hands slipping her headband off her forehead.

Sunlight poured in through the cracks in the walls and ceiling. One beam reflected on his eyes beautifully, making his eyes glow like emeralds. She traced her fingers over his cheekbones, making his eyes flutter. He was slowly moving his right hand down her thigh, bringing her leather suit down.

She reached for his pants, first untying the cloth belt around his waist. Once that was off she proceeded to remove his pants. She was glad that he had removed his shoes and shin guards yesterday, along with his wrist guards. He shifted towards her, making it easier for her to slide the fabric down his legs.

His hand clenched on her shin, prompting her to raise her leg so he could pull the suit off completely. Kasuga's heart pounded in her chest and she couldn't resist pulling his head down for a kiss. When they broke for air their clothes had been fully removed.

Kojyuro slipped a hand around her lower back, his fingers pressing into the dip of her spine. She shuddered, wrapping her legs around his waist, her hands burying themselves in his hair. He lipped her cheek, silently asking her if this is what she wanted. She nipped the tip of his ear in reply, bucking her hips against his.

His grip on her back tightened as he slid half way into her. She breathed deeply, purring into his ear. His lips grazed her neck before he filled her completely. She swallowed, glad that he was letting her adjust to his size.

He moved slowly, pulling out half way before pushing back in. Kasuga fit almost perfectly against him. The slow pace allowed her to enjoy a few kisses between breaths. She tightened her legs around his hips, moaning softly. He was holding back – she knew from the way he grit his teeth.

The slow pace got to her, finally, and she moved her lips to his ear.

"I'm not made of glass, Kojyuro. I'm not going to break," she whispered in his ear, nipping the tip again. He breathed soundly against her neck.

"If that's what you want, Kasuga, I will gladly comply," he whispered back to her. With a barely audible grunt he pulled fully out of her before thrusting back in. She gasped at the sensation, her arms tightening around his shoulders. Now that he had started with the faster pace he wasn't going to stop.

Kasuga fought to keep her cries in check. Kojyuro had set her on the blankets so he could move more fluidly against her. Soon her hips were rocking in rhythm with his, her moans becoming more audible.

The sunlight warmed Kasuga's cheeks more then she liked and she scraped her blunt nails over Kojyuro's back - she found that he was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her stomach began to tingle, a sensation she had never felt before. She started panting, a pleasurable moan seeping past her lips.

"Ah!" she gasped. He had hit a certain spot, the perfect spot. He thrust into her again, hitting the same spot.

"Ah, Kojyuro…" she mewled, tipping her head back against the blankets. She thought she heard him gasp softly and so she opened her eyes to look at his face. His pace slowed considerably, but he continued to hit that spot deep inside her, making her gasp and flush.

His eyes were half-closed and locked onto hers. She licked her lips, unable to hold back her cries.

"Ahh, ah, K-Kojyuro, ah…" she whimpered, tangling her fingers in his hair and crushing her lips briefly to his. She could only kiss him so many times between panted breaths. His name passed by her lips several times.

Her abdomen tightened, making her drag her nails down Kojyuro's arm. Her head tipped back, her legs cinching more around him. She fisted her hand in his hair, her other hand still biting into his arm.

"Kasuga…" his voice was soft in her ear. She couldn't respond to him, the only sounds coming out of her mouth being muffled cries. A spasm shook her body and her voice cracked as she released a drawn out cry. She dug her fingernails harder into his skin, her breaths turning to gasps.

He pressed his head into the nook between her neck and shoulder. He was breathing as quickly as she was. Her orgasm came to an end, leaving her sensitive. He wasn't far behind, pushing his face harder against her neck, a soft groan escaping past his lips.

His body collapsed against hers. The sunlight pouring through the walls and ceiling's many cracks did nothing to help cool her hot body – his heavy breaths against her neck were making the heat worse but Kasuga found that she didn't mind the warmth.

He pulled out of her, making her body tremble. Her legs loosened from their hold around his hips, dropping to the blankets. He easily pulled out of her arms, pushing away from her and into an upright position.

'_He's not going to leave, is he?'_ a strange fear gripped at her chest. She quickly sat up, thrusting one hand into the hair at the back of his head, holding him still. She caught his gaze, his green eyes bright with longing. His eyes spoke loudly to her; he didn't want to leave.

"Don't leave," she whispered, brushing her lips over his. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words were formed. He closed his mouth, ducking his head.

Kasuga lifted her other hand to his face, raising his chin. Her lips touched his softly.

"Don't leave," she repeated, leaning back. She felt a tug on her left strand of hair, and noticed too late that he had coiled the long hair around his fist. He jerked her forward, catching her lips in his. She smoothed her hands over his collarbone, sliding her hands around his neck.

He moved her onto his lap, keeping one hand coiled around her hair while the other was wrapped around her waist. She pressed her hands into his neck, gently massaging his tense muscles. He sighed against her lips.

They separated moments later, breathing deeply.

"I really should go find my lord," Kojyuro whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"And I really should return to mine," she whispered back. They stared at each other for several heartbeats, motes of dust shimmering around them. Kojyuro rested his hands on Kasuga's waist, lifting her off his lap.

'_Does he still intend to leave?'_ she bit her lower lip as he set her down on the blankets. He twisted his body around, his gaze settling on the doorway. Kasuga leaned forward reaching for his hand. She latched onto his forefinger, tugging lightly. He turned back to face her, a startled look on his face. Kasuga ducked her head, gnawing on her lip now.

"… stay with me. Stay with me until it's late," she lifted her head and watched him blink.

'_I – I should convince him more,'_ her lips quivered as she spoke, "if you stay later then… then it will be easier for us to go our separate ways."

He smiled kindly at her, laughing softly.

"Lie down, Kasuga. I'll stay until evening," he agreed, pulling his finger out of her grasp.

Kasuga lay down uncertainly, wondering if he really was going to say.

'_He's a samurai, so he should be a man of his word – oh,'_ her thought was cut short when he settled next to her on the blankets, draping his jacket over her. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"What about you?"

"I won't need it until evening," he kissed the skin behind her ear, "just relax."

"Hai…" she nestled against his chest, smiling when he draped his arm over her waist, "I'll… see you tonight, Kojyuro."

Kasuga's sleep was filled with dreams of him. She felt like she had only been asleep for a moment when she was awoken by the sounds of metal. She pushed up on her side, staring up at Kojyuro as he pulled on his shirt. He already had his guards on, and his pants.

She waited until he had finished tying the cloth belt around his waist before getting up in a flurry, draping his jacket over his shoulders. Her arms coiled around his torso, her face pressing into his back.

'_He has such a nice smell,'_ she thought, breathing in deeply. She felt him wrap one hand around her wrists, giving her wrists a squeeze.

"You best get dressed, Kasuga."

"Already done," she commented, whisking past him while thrusting her arms into the sleeves of her leather suit. She glanced slyly over her shoulder at him, smirking when she saw his surprised expression.

"Don't forget that I'm a shinobi, Kojyuro," she reminded him, "now if you'll excuse me, I have to retrieve my gloves and neck guard."

He smiled, pulling on his coat, "very well."

Kasuga was already in the main room, stooping down to scoop up her gloves and neck guard. She slipped on her gloves and situated her neck guard on her neck, zipping it up. She could hear Kojyuro's footsteps as he made his way down the hall from the room they had been in to the main room. She scampered out the kugurido and into the cool night air. Her eyes lifted to the sky and she stared.

The sky was very clear, stars shining brightly in the inky expanse. It took her a moment to feel the chill of the night. She shuddered, brushing her bangs back.

'_Ugh. It's cold and my hair's in my face…'_ a hand appeared over her shoulder, her headband dangling off the fingers.

"Forget something in your rush?" Kojyuro asked, a smirk on his voice. Kasuga snatched the headband before he could draw his hand back, pursing her lips at him as she situated the headband on her head. Once that was in place, she tilted her head at him. The wind picked up, making her shiver. Kojyuro made no move to warm her; he simply stood in front of her, looking off to the side at the fireflies dancing in the trees.

'_Seems like I'm getting attached to him. We really should separate before I do.'_

She walked towards him until she stood flush against him, gazing seductively into his eyes, "I will be tempted to follow you, samurai."

He returned her gaze, a smirk on his lips, "then I will be tempted to capture you, kunoichi," he stroked her face, "and keep you."

"All to yourself?" she wondered aloud, pushing up onto the balls of her feet.

"Of course," he murmured, slipping his hand under her chin. He kissed her chastely, brushing his thumb over her lips when he pulled away. He took a step back.

"I'll be going then, kunoichi," he said quietly, turning around.

"Until next we meet, samurai," she called to him, flipping back into the trees. He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder, his eyes slowly scanning up to find her in the trees. She blew him a kiss before disappearing into the trees.

'_Thank Kami I didn't get attached but if it would be,'_ she touched her fingers to her lips, blushing, _'Kojyuro… I…'_

She shook her head, turning her thoughts instead to a relaxing bath at the onsen when she reached Kai.

* * *

I just realized that Kasuga repeats her thought of Kojyuro being difficult... I care not. Hope you liked it~ I know this is a deliciously rare pairing. I love it a little... too much, he he~


	2. Chapter 2

Just like with the first chapter, the title and content is inspired by Imogen Heap's song "Come here boy". It's rather sensual when you get to the bridge, to be honest.

And FYI, I know this story was originally a one-shot but... I figured out a way that I could make this story into something dark, romantic and dramatic. This story will also include - in addition to Masamune and Oichi - Hisahide and Suzu.

**WARNING: **Like the previous chapter, this one also contains a lemon. Takes place eleven months after chapter 1, with Kasuga on top.

* * *

**Come here boy.**

_'Well now, I wasn't expecting this,'_ Kojyuro narrowed his eyes at the leather clad kunoichi standing before him – though at the moment, she wasn't looking at him because she was too busy sizing up the group of soldiers near her. The Date and Uesugi armies had met in a skirmish; Kojyuro shook his head, sighing, _'and Masamune-sama just wanted to test his strength against the War God. Go figure I would be stuck with this woman...'_ he furrowed his brows; why was she with the Uesugi? Kojyuro strode carefully towards her, cringing when she all too easily took out the Date soldiers she had been sizing up earlier. All eight of them lay on the ground unconscious while she yanked on the chain between her weapons.

Her armour was different – for starters, the neck guard and headband were gone. Her blonde hair was still short at the back while her bangs stayed in place just above her brow bone, no longer falling in her eyes like they would without her headband. The thick strands of hair hanging down in front of her ears were longer then they were eleven months ago, when he had last seen her.

He shook his head slightly, _'it's been that long has it...? I didn't realize,'_ his gaze rested on her weapons when she whipped around to face him, aware now that she was being stared at. They were large circular disks, at least three inches thick with spikes lining them all the way around. The chain between them was very long and Kojyuro soon found himself eager to fight her, to see how strong she had gotten.

_'At least I'll be able to give her a better taste of my strength,'_ he raised his katana, prepared to guard against her should she attack him, _'I should redeem myself from my weakness when I was poisoned.'_

Her eyes were wandering over him as well and so he tossed his head back, making her smile.

"I didn't realize it was the Date troop that you were a part of, samurai," she called to him. Kojyuro allowed himself a smirk, but didn't drop his guard.

"And I thought you were with the Takeda, kunoichi. Why the change of heart?" he called back, watching her drop into an attack stance, one disk by her shoulder while the other dangled by the chain in front of her.

Before she could give him an answer to his question, another voice called out from behind Kojyuro, "Katakura-sama!"

Kojyuro risked a glance over his shoulder to see that it was Yoshinao. When the man came to stand next to him, obviously prepared to fight Kasuga himself, Kojyuro elbowed him lightly in the shoulder.

"Head back to Masamune-sama, cousin. I'll handle her."

Yoshinao hesitated, "uh, Katakura-sama... are you sure she-"

"Trust me," Kojyuro spoke more firmly, tensing when Kasuga shifted, "she's too much for you guys to handle."

The way Yoshinao "hmphed" made Kojyuro smirk. He relaxed slightly when he heard the trudging footsteps move back the way they came, _'of course he's offended by that. But I would prefer no one interfered in this fight,'_ he dropped his stance as Kasuga did, jerking his sword back up when she charged him.

_'She's become stronger,'_ he realized; he had faltered when they clashed. She sprang backwards, putting distance between them again.

"I see you were unprepared fro that, samurai," she purred, jutting out her left hip and resting one disk there; the other disk swayed back and forth like a pendulum beside her. Kojyuro resisted the urge to look her over.

"You're stronger then I expected, that's all," he retorted.

She pursed her lips before swinging the swaying disk at him. Kojyuro deflected it but was wary of the chain. If he wasn't careful she could wrap the chain around his sword and take it from him.

_'Then there's her speed,'_ he inwardly complained. She had charged him again while he was distracted . He manged to block her disk, one hand grasping the hilt of his sword. He reached to grab her with his right hand but she scowled and leapt away, jerking her other disk back towards her. Kojyuro released a breath, tossing his head again.

"I wish you would stop acting so cocky," she informed him, pouting. Kojyuro raised an eyebrow, turning so his body faced her. She changed her stance again and was now holding both her disks in her hands, her arms crossed under her breasts. Her ankles were also crossed over each other. To make matters worse for Kojyuro, she was gazing at him through her long eyelashes, her chin angled towards her chest.

_'She's changed armies, gotten stronger and is more beautiful to me then the first time I saw her... damn it, this fight might go in her favour,'_ he grit his teeth, again refusing to let his eyes roam over her voluptuous form.

"Are you sure you should be flirting with me, kunoichi?" he questioned, raising his sword. A rush of air behind him and her afterimage fading in front of him made Kojyuro's eyes widen in surprise. Her breath caressed the shell of his ear.

"You seem to be enjoying it, Kojyuro," she whispered. He channeled lightning into his sword and quickly slashed behind him, turning around as well. Kasuga leapt back and threw one of her disks at him. Kojyuro deflected it again and immediately regretted doing so upon seeing her smirk. She threw her other disk and sprinted towards him; he assumed that her plan was to catch him in her chain. Kojyuro also sprinted towards her, but right before they would have clashed Kojyuro dropped his sword and bent down low.

Her eyes had widened considerably and she gasped when he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his head against her warm stomach. He channeled lightning into his feet then and leapt clear of her chain.

He had to admit he took too much pleasure in slamming her against the ground – it gave him an excuse to hold her down with his body. He raised his head slightly from her shoulder, listening to her gasping breaths. He couldn't resist skimming his lips over her neck, smirking when she twitched away from him.

Kojyuro only managed to catch a brief glimpse of her face – flushed and glowing – before she skillfully slipped out from under him.

_'Well I should have known better then to lift my weight off her,'_ after he stood he dropped into a fighting stance, raising his fists, his left in front of his right. She gave him an odd look, her mouth dropped open and eyebrows narrowed. Kojyuro shrugged, making a "bring it on" gesture with his left hand.

"What? You're a kunoichi, Kasuga. I'm sure you were trained in hand-to-hand combat."

"I know better then to go up against a man who can easily wrap one arm around me!" she yelled at him, flustered now. Kojyuro found himself grinning at how agitated she was.

"That's what you get for your flirting. The only way you're getting your disks back is if you can get past me," he taunted, running his hand through his hair. Kasuga snapped her teeth together and took the bait. She was by his side within seconds.

Kojyuro inwardly cursed her speed again, catching her wrist in his hand. He would have slammed her into the ground had she not expertly twisted her body around and rammed her foot into his jaw, forcing his head back.

"Exactly like before, except this time with my _foot_," the mocking in her voice made Kojyuro's blood boil. He released her wrist and grabbed her ankle in both hands, raising her into the air and brutally slamming her against the ground before flinging her towards the woods - and ultimately to her weapons.

He was too blinded by her mockery to think much of it; he took some pride in seeing her grimace when she stood.

"You're a beast! Very different from Kenshin-sama," she coughed, grabbing the chain between her weapons and jerking both disks towards her. Kojyuro straightened abruptly at the mention of the War God.

"Uesugi Kenshin?" he inquired, clenching his fist. She tilted her head at him, then smiled. She swung one of her disks in the pendulum motion again.

"Yeah, Kenshin-sama. He's a very gentle, caring man," Kasuga glanced up at him and Kojyuro knew that she was aware she was making him jealous of her lord – it was written all over his face.

"Mm, a very gentle man. Much more gentle than you. He knows where to touch me too – knows what parts of my body are sensitive -!" she fled when Kojyuro charged at her, slamming his fist into the ground where she had been standing, red with fury. He didn't like being _compared_ to her lord. She poked her head out from behind a tree.

"Are you jealous, Kojyuro?" her voice was oddly soft, like she was scared now.

"I'll make you regret making me jealous, Kasuga," he growled, noticing that she closed her eyes and opened them again moments later at the sound of his voice. Kojyuro had gotten his sword again and was dragging it against the ground as he walked towards her, "I'll make you _really_ regret it."

"You'll have to catch me first, samurai," she breathed, sprinting into the woods. Like the blind fool he was, Kojyuro dashed after her. After a while of the pointless chase, he noticed that she kept glancing back.

_'If I move out of her line of sight... she'll probably stop and wonder where I am,'_ once she faced ahead again from making sure he was still following her, he did just that and dashed into the trees off to the right. He slowed his pace just a bit until he found her, doing exactly as he had suspected – though she was hiding behind a tree now, her back to him.

_'So she knows that I plan on sneaking up on her. However,'_ he moved swiftly, catching the chain of her weapon around his sword and jerking it out of her hands. She was too shocked to even make a sound. He threw his sword at a nearby tree where it got lodged; her disks hung from it.

Kojyuro slammed her against the tree, cornering her there. He was tempted to not give her the chance to catch her breath, but he had calmed down; he decided that he _could_ be gentle, even if he was more interested in ravaging her.

"Looks like I've caught you, kunoichi. Unless of course, this is a bunshin."

The way she scowled at him made him chuckle, "so you forgot to make one, Kasuga?"

"I didn't think that would be fair, considering you aren't a shinobi yourself. Do I look like I'm that cruel?" she replied, giving him a look of pity. He lowered his head, letting his gaze darken.

"Or perhaps you wanted to get caught."

She blushed and looked away, her signature pout in place. After a tense minute, she turned her gaze back to him, "you've caught me and you aren't doing anything? I'm surprised."

"What, you think I lack self control?" he snarled, pressing her harder against the tree. Kasuga breathed in sharply, pressing her hands to his shoulders.

"Y-You _do_ realize you're proving you're a beast of man, don't you?" she informed him in a breathy voice. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against her shoulder.

"And you _do_ realize you're making it difficult for me to exert this self control?"

"What's stopping you?" she whispered in his ear before turning into a flash of bright light and disappearing. Kojyuro sighed, dropping his hands away from the tree and looking over his shoulder at her. She was running her fingers over the flat side of his katana. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I could almost imagine..." she started, then, without bothering to finish her sentence, Kasuga ran her tongue over part of the blade, looking at him seductively before darting off again. Kojyuro felt his ears grow hot at the implication and it took him a moment to calm himself before he started after her, leaving the weapons behind.

He came to a stop when he found – yet again – an abandoned machiya in front of him. He crossed his arms over his chest, _'sometimes, I feel like these abandoned buildings are too convenient.'_

Cautiously he approached, pushing open the door. It was getting late outside, the sun already beginning to set. No doubt Masamune would be wondering what was taking him so long.

Before Kojyuro could enter the building completely he heard footsteps.

"K-Katakura-sama?" came a timid voice. Startled as to what the boy was doing here, Kojyuro leaned back out the door, raising his eyebrow at Bunshichi.

"I take it you were sent looking for me."

"H-hai. I thought I heard some fighting over here so I came to see if that was you -"

"Tell Masamune-sama I won't be back until late tomorrow. I'm still – duelling with the kunoichi," he bit his lip when he heard her giggle softly from inside the machiya; he had almost mistakingly said something else. Bunshichi nodded his head but gave Kojyuro a look that suggested he knew what was going on.

"Ah, I'll – I'll tell Hittou... have fun," Bunshichi's eyes widened after he said the phrase and he immediately tried to amend it, "I – I mean, well, I hope you win!" and then he ran off, cheeks dusted with red from embarrassment. Kojyuro shook his head, _'I suppose I _will_ have fun, but that's besides the point,'_ he turned his gaze back into the building and saw Kasuga's form near a wall.

Upon entering the building Kojyuro tensed; he couldn't shake the feeling that she had set up some kind of trap. He looked around and she giggled again.

"You think there's a trap, don't you?"

"Why wouldn't I think there is? You're a kunoichi and I caught you once. You wouldn't make it _that_ simple, would you?" he countered, taking a careful step towards her.

"Mm, you're right, I wouldn't. And you didn't close the door."

Kojyuro gave her a look he might give a child who wanted the lamps to stay lit because he was afraid of the dark, "did you want me to close it, girl?"

"Oh, now you're calling me _girl_? Should I call you _boy_ then?" she purred, walking towards him until she was directly in front of him. He resisted the urge to place his hands on her waist.

"You certainly are brave," he muttered, leaning towards her. She dodged around him and shut the door then returned to her previous spot, gesturing to him with a finger.

"Come here, boy."

The tone of her voice made Kojyuro shudder and he couldn't help following after her. She slowly led him through the building until she came to a large room. Kojyuro stopped following her upon seeing how the room was set up – it was as if someone had been living there recently, since there was a futon on the floor, an unlit lamp near that and a basin in one corner.

"You planned this, didn't you?" he asked. Kasuga turned around to face him and gave him a small shrug, looking down at the floor.

"Not exactly... I had planned to stay here a night because Kenshin-sama wanted me to scout around the Oshuu territory for another shinobi that's been around here and there, killing off some soldiers from Uesugi..."

Kojyuro was taken aback by this information, "I'm not sure you should have told me that."

"Are you going to make me regret that too?" she replied, raising her head and batting her eyes at him. He scowled and opened his mouth to speak only to have her suddenly appear in front of him, her hands on his face and her tongue in his mouth. He would be lying to himself if he decided that he disliked her aggression; he was enjoying it enough to let her back him against the wall.

He placed his hands on her waist, running them over her back before pulling her closer. His armour had never irritated him so much – he couldn't enjoy the shape of her body through his chest plate. Kasuga pulled back, her lips glistening. Kojyuro's breathing quickened ever so slightly but when he tried to move forward she placed a hand on his chest plate, holding him against the wall.

"Should I get that for you, Kojyuro?" she asked in an alluring voice, her hand pressing even harder against his chest when he tried to move forward again. He frowned, quirking an eyebrow.

"What are you doing, exactly?" he manged to ask. Kasuga tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling, pursing her lips; Kojyuro jerked her forward. She gasped but maneuvered away from him in a snake-like motion, keeping her head away from him.

_'How I wish this metal wasn't here,'_ Kojyuro flexed his hands on her back, moving a hand between her shoulder blades.

"You really want me," her voice was soft and seductive, "you want me so badly. I was sure you would have met someone else already."

"No woman could ever compare to you. Not in beauty, not in skill..." he pressed his open mouth lightly to hers. She returned the motion and Kojyuro knew that he was allowed to kiss her again – but she only let him for so long before her hand was back on his chest, holding him back. He released a low growl, seeing a question in her eyes.

"Could any man?"

The question startled a laugh out of Kojyuro.

"A _man_?" he demanded, giving her a lop-sided grin, "no way in hell could a man ever compare. How could a man compare to woman? It's impossible. The only time a man should be with another man is when the more experienced is teaching the inexperienced."

"So only when teaching another how to love?" she probed, stroking his face and teasingly moving closer. Kojyuro knew where the conversation was going.

"I've already taught Masamune-sama everything he needs to know, and I'll be damned if he hasn't learned anything. Though lately it seems that he really hasn't learned anything... at least, not about being gentle."

Kasuga's giggle was dark, almost a chuckle; it made Kojyuro's heart pound when her lips skimmed his ear.

"Kasuga -" he could hardly hear himself and she cut him off, her voice sending shivers down his spine.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't gentle. You're not so gentle yourself, but I'm sure when it comes to handling a _real_ woman, he'll understand, won't he? Men are tougher then we women are, so if you were rough when teaching then he might be rough when executing – but with a real, fragile woman, he'll realize that he can't be so rough," Kasuga shifted and Kojyuro couldn't find any words to say, "but then again, I'm not a normal, civilian woman. I'm a shinobi with a body capable of taking damage. And," she pressed her body flush against his, sliding down slightly so her chin was on his shoulder, "I like it rough."

He dug his fingers into her back – what he didn't expect was for her to release a moan in his ear, one that nearly made him lose hold on his self control.

"Kasuga, you're – mmph," her slim fingers tangled in his hair, her tongue swirling in his mouth, taking over his senses. He could hardly keep a logical thought in his head, and when she pulled back with a thread of saliva between their mouths and a seductive gaze in her eyes he nearly threw logic out the window.

Her body rolled against his again as she maneuvered her hands around to his back, behind his overcoat.

_'What now?'_ he thought, since his mouth wasn't being of much use. He felt the pressure around his chest lessen, and then the loud _clank_ of his chest plate falling to the floor.

Kasuga forced him to let go of her by elbowing his forearms. She was too fast for Kojyuro, her hands already pulling apart his shirt to reveal his bare skin, pushing his shirt and overcoat down his arms to keep them bound by his sides. By the time he finished processing that action, she was undoing his belt, and by the time he had processed that she was slowly moving into a kneeling position on the floor. He didn't know what to expect as she stared up at him from her position, her hands sliding down his inner thighs.

_'... goddamn this girl and her teasing,'_ he felt a vein pop in his head as he watched her – somewhat furious – remove the armour on his shins, the grin on her lips a clear indication that she knew she had made him mad.

She was taking her sweet time removing the armour and when she was finally done Kojyuro was practically shaking with anticipation.

_'I hate this. I hate this anticipation but I love how unpredictable she is,'_ he pressed his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing even as she stood back up, slowly, her hands trailing along his legs. He felt her deliberately press her breasts between his legs and he felt the friction of her skin against his as she continued upwards – though he wished it was more skin he felt and less leather.

He opened his eyes when he felt her breath on his face – the look in her eyes was asking him, asking him if he was pleased with what she was doing; how she was making him feel. He jerked his arms out of the sleeves of both his shirt and overcoat, wrapping his right arm around the dip in her back and clenching his left hand in her short hair. Her gasp gave him easy access to her hot mouth, which he gladly explored the expanse of.

He loved how she fought with him, trying to dominate him; he wasn't having that and he made it clear by finally swapping their positions, slamming her roughly against the wall and moving his hand from her back to her thigh, lifting her leg around his hip. She pressed her head against the wall now, exposing her neck and drawing him to her supple skin when she ran her finger down her sweating neck. He licked her skin, enjoying the salty taste while he moved his hips meaningfully against hers; he didn't care if he hurt her now.

But Kasuga caught him off guard when she moved her hips with his, breathy moans escaping past her lips, sweat running down the synapse between her breasts. Kojyuro released her thigh in favour of reaching for her breasts but she stopped him, lowering his hands to her waist.

"No, you can't touch me there," she purred, lowering her leg and walking towards him, forcing him to move back. He was disgruntled; he wanted to give her at least _some_ of the same pleasure that she was giving him. She continued to move him backwards, placing featherlight kisses over his collarbone and neck, her hands working at removing his wrist guards. The green metal dropped to the floor one after the other, making dull thumping sounds; his gloves followed shortly after that.

Kojyuro reached for her breasts only to have her stop him _again_, moving his hands back down to her waist.

"No, no, no, Kojyuro," she chided, locking her ankle around his and jerking her leg back and up, tripping him. He had no idea that she had guided him to the futon – he had been expecting his landing to be a lot harder. She straddled his stomach, staring down at him.

"You can't touch me there yet."

"Damn it, Kasuga," he snapped, pushing up onto his arms, "there's only so much I can take -!"

"You're just going to have to be patient then, aren't you?" she informed him, holding up her right hand to reveal the strings of light she had attached; they coiled around his arms, binding them to his sides. He eyed them in irritation, feeling an odd heat rise to his face.

_'What... am I blushing for?'_ he wondered when Kasuga stood and pushed him back against the futon with her foot, continuing to gaze seductively down at him. She was making him want her so badly he was straining against the bonds.

"You wait there. I'm just going to move over here..." she let her sentence trial off as she moved out of his line of sight. Kojyuro didn't like that he couldn't see her, so he set about to twisting and rolling on the futon until he managed to get into a sitting position. He couldn't believe his eyes when he finally made out her shape in the dimming light.

Her leather suit was already half way down her body, revealing that she was wearing almost nothing underneath. Sure, he had seen her before, but to watch her remove her armour in front of him in such a tantalizing way made his heart jump wildly in his chest. He almost lost his breath by the time the suit descended to the floor, followed by the netting she wore on her legs. She turned around, twirling a strand of blonde around her wrist – Kojyuro swallowed, sure that the thin piece of leather she was wearing under her suit would be easy to break with one finger.

She walked towards him, keeping her eyes on his face as she slipped her fingers under the straps on her shoulders, slowly pulling them off until they slid off her breasts. Kojyuro's eyes followed the path of the leather as it plunged to the floor; Kasuga appeared on all fours in front of him then and she crawled over his legs, stopping half way.

"I see that made you quite happy," she commented softly, the smile on her lips unreadable. Kojyuro could only breathe in and out until he finally managed to growl at her.

"Release me."

"I'll release you, Kojyuro, if you do everything I say," she told him, her fingers curling around the top of his pants, "and if you disobey, I'll just tie you up again."

Kojyuro snarled at her, several beads of sweat running down his forehead as Kasuga tossed the rest of his clothing to the side. She placed both of her hands on his chest and pushed him down. She straddled him again, this time over his waist.

"Just relax," her voice was quiet now as she reached for his hands and guided them to her face. Kojyuro furrowed his brow; her cheeks were very warm under his hands.

_'So she's... blushing more then I am,'_ he smiled affectionately, smoothing his thumbs over her eyelids and his fingers over her cheeks. Her breath caught in her throat once before she continued to breathe more evenly, her hands hovering over his wrists as he moved his hands around her ears, down her neck and across her shoulders. From her shoulders his hands glided down her arms to her hands. He twined his fingers with hers, watching her face; her eyes were closed.

He would have liked to be able to touch her breasts but Kasuga's eyes shot open, and she latched onto his wrists. Instead of speaking she guided his hands to her ribs, forcing him to continue to move his hands all over her body.

Kojyuro was intrigued by her odd behaviour and he continued exploring her body – aside from her breasts. Her legs he found were very muscular and her back was smooth. Her stomach was soft but firm, twitching whenever he skimmed his fingers over her skin.

He reached for her face again, running his thumb over her lips. Her eyes fluttered at the sensation and she stared down at him. His hand crept to the back of her head.

"Kasuga... are you nervous?" he asked, his voice soft. She raised her arm and held his forearm in her hand.

"I – o-only a little," she stuttered; Kojyuro stared at her. Suddenly she smashed her lips to his, her hand jerking his away from the back of her head and pinning it to the floor. Her body was moving off his, her lips drawing away. Kojyuro tried to even out his breathing, though with Kasuga trying to situate herself on top of him was making breathing evenly difficult.

She released a short, frustrated sound, placing her hand on his chest. He tilted his head on the futon, wondering what she planned on doing. She licked her lips and reached down with her right hand; Kojyuro breathed in sharply at the feeling of her chilled fingers against him. She took a breath and closed her eyes, guiding him into her. He closed his eyes tightly, feeling her clench around him.

A content sigh slipped past her lips, prompting Kojyuro to open his eyes and look at her. Wisps of her bangs were lying against her face, wet with sweat; her longer strands of hair rested against his stomach, lightly stroking him when she moved.

He couldn't resist holding her thighs with his hands when she started rocking back and forth – her movements were slow and unsure, but Kojyuro didn't blame her. She had admitted she was nervous, after all, and if he were honest with himself this was the first time he had ever gotten a good look at her beautiful body. Both of her hands were pressing against his chest, squeezing her breasts together.

Though it was dark outside now, Kojyuro could clearly see the layer of sweat that now covered Kasuga's body. Her hands clenched on his chest, her nails biting into his skin. She was rocking her hips faster, her breaths short gasps.

Slowly his hands crept up her sides – he was very intent on her breasts now – but she _still_ wasn't going to let him touch her there, as her hands grasped his wrists moments before he would have started giving her a massage.

"Your hands," she breathed, setting his hands back on her thighs were they had been, "stay there. Or I'll – I'll bind you."

"Then do it, Kasuga," he informed her huskily, pulling his hands away from her thighs and cupping one hand around her left breast, making her gasp loudly, his other hand pressing into her lower back as he rose slightly off the futon, "_do it_. Bind me. Better yet, bind me to you," he sat up completely, drawing her left breast to his mouth. Her nails dug into his shoulders, her body shuddering at the sensation of his tongue caressing her nipple.

"K-Kojyuro, s-stop it! Ah!" she threw her head back, nails digging even deeper into his skin, her hips dipping down and back up now that Kojyuro had changed her position. He waited until she looked at him, tantalizing her with his tongue, before he raised his head and caught her lips in his, savouring her sweet taste.

_'Almost like dango, but sweeter,' _he couldn't keep a small smile from forming on his lips when he felt her strings of light coiling around his arms and torso. She pushed him back down, gasping for breath, her hips still moving but in a slower pace, an agonizingly slow pace. She brushed her fingertips over his nipples before pressing her hands against his collarbone.

"This is your – punishment. For disobeying," she informed him, leaning back on her hands which she had rested against his shins, "I'll have you watch what you can't touch."

"_Shit_," Kojyuro cursed, making her grin at him before she let her head fall back, her hips moving up and down. Kojyuro couldn't stop staring at her or the way her body moved – it was driving him crazy. Her gasping breaths developed into soft moans; Kojyuro knew that she was getting close. The bonds on his body were lessening.

"Ah-h, Koj- Kojyuro," her body leaned back over him, her hands on his chest again, "Kojyuro..."

The moment the threads around him slackened enough for him to break them, Kojyuro swapped his position with hers – he could hardly hold himself back. Her nails were sharp in his back, drawing blood as she climaxed. Her entire body clenched, her head pressing back into the futon in ecstasy.

Kasuga dug her nails into his shoulders next, pushing against him as he continued to thrust into her – he had to finish the job.

"K-Kojyuro s-s-stop," he could hardly understand what she was saying her breathing was so ragged. He pressed his nose against her forehead, his body shuddering.

"Bear with me a bit longer, Kasuga. Just a – a bit longer," he clenched his eyes shut, feeling as though he was going to burst. One last thrust and he was sent over the edge, groaning in Kasuga's ear – what other way could he let her know that she had made him feel unbelievably wonderful?

Kasuga appreciated it, he knew that much from the way she nibbled on his earlobe after he lay down on her, not bothering to pull out quite yet. He wanted to savour the moment; it could be the last time he would see her.

"As I thought," she murmured, stroking Kojyuro's head, "I like your roughness. No, I – I love it."

Kojyuro raised his head at the admittance, noticing that she had turned her head to the side, her cheeks dark with blush. He pressed his lips to her cheek just to make sure he wasn't imagining the blush.

"No one has ever made me feel this way, Kasuga. I mean that. What you did to me..." he let his words trail off upon seeing her raise her hand; she pressed her finger to his lips. He tilted his head and finally pulled himself out of her, resting his head between her neck and shoulder once she moved her hand from his lips to his neck.

"Don't say anything more. It's only going to... it'll be harder to leave. In the morning. It will be hard for me to leave," her voice was so soft it was all Kojyuro could do to roll onto his side and gather her in his arms possessively.

"You won't be the only one who has difficulty leaving," he informed her, refusing to make eye-contact after he admitted it. Her lips skimmed over his throat.

After several minutes of just listening to her breathe, Kojyuro heard her speak again, "it's... it's a little chilly."

He blew a breath into her hair, glancing around. His overcoat was out in the hallway along with his shirt, so it would be pointless to walk out and get those.

_'Neither my shirt nor my overcoat would be enough to cover both of us anyway... hm?'_ Kojyuro's eyes fell upon a wardrobe in the corner – it didn't look like it had been used in a long while. He disengaged from Kasuga and strode towards the wardrobe.

"W-where are you going?" her voice shook with fear. Kojyuro looked over his shoulder at her, noticing how her eyes were wide and her eyebrows were angled back. He gave her a smile and opened the wardrobe, sneezing lightly at the dust that assaulted his nose.

"I'm not going anywhere Kasuga. Just getting one of these dusty things," he told her, holding out one of the large yogis he'd found. With a snap of his hands he shook out most of the dust. He was about to walk back over to Kasuga but she was right in front of him, her face against his neck and her arms around his torso. Kojyuro wasted no time in wrapping the expansive cloth around the both of them, savouring the feel of her body against his.

"And what's with you, Kasuga?" he asked softly, intrigued by her odd behaviour, "why are you hugging me so tightly?"

"Because... it's colder when you aren't there," she replied, looking up at him. Her eyes were such a beautiful hazel; he was drawn into them. He wouldn't mind getting lost in such young eyes.

She reached up, her cool fingers skimming his cheek, prompting him to close his eyes. He didn't have to wait long before he felt her lips against his; though it was just a light touch. He sighed against her lips, slowly opening his eyes. She was resting against his chest now, her breathing even. Kojyuro eyed the futon in the corner.

He would _definitely _be returning to Oshuu late tomorrow.

* * *

The sun made it far too _warm_ in the large room. Kojyuro groaned and threw his right arm over his eyes, trying to block out the sun that was filtering through the cracks in the ceiling. A smaller form shifted next to him and Kojyuro let a small smile cross his lips; he tightened his grip around Kasuga, holding her more firmly to his side.

"Nn... Kojyuro?" her voice was thick with sleep, "are you awake, Kojyuro?"

"Mm," he replied, pulling his arm away from his eyes. He turned his head so he could look at her and to his surprise his nose brushed against hers.

_'I didn't realize she had her head on my shoulder,'_ her pink lips curled up in a sweet smile. He couldn't resist kissing her, pressing his lips eagerly to hers. She sifted her fingers through his hair which brushed the stray strands away from his face.

He would have kissed her again – after pulling back and seeing her loving expression – but she pressed her finger to his lips, her eyes averting their gaze. He sighed.

"I know... I know..."

"Then you should -"

"No, Kasuga, I can get away with it, even though I shouldn't. You know I will," he informed her and she frowned, sitting up. The sun playing over her skin made her radiant and Kojyuro could only stare at her, drinking in the sight of her sitting poised and perfect next to him. After minutes of staring he sat up as well, touching his hand tenderly to her face.

"I demand to know why parting ways is so difficult," he breathed, resting his forehead against hers. She set her hands on his shoulders, closing her eyes.

"Because Kami is cruel. But don't – don't you dare treat this like it's the last time I'll see you!" she pleaded, looking up at him. He gazed steadily into her eyes – _'but if I don't treat it like it's the last time I'll see you, I won't be able to let you go'._

"Kasuga, listen. Our states are at war; it's grave enough that you and I are engaging in this..." he struggled for the right word and Kasuga tilted her head, her forehead still against his before offering, "lust?"

"Let's say desire."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Then let's add the fact that our generals don't get along very well and on top of that add their suspicion -"

"Kenshin-sama doesn't expect me back for another two days -"

"- and on top of that suspicion, add the entirety of Japan that is at war and how much ordinary people don't get to enjoy what we've so selfishly hoarded," he finished, effectively cutting her off. Her hands dropped away from his shoulders; he didn't want to part like this, but what choice did he have?

"Isn't part of war being selfish?" she asked stubbornly, wringing her hands together. Kojyuro couldn't resist embracing her. It was clear to him that she was still young and with that young air of hers she had an ability to be selfish. All she had was her duty to her lord.

Kojyuro, on the other hand, had more responsibility on his shoulders. Masamune was young, stupid, incapable of making proper decisions on his own and relied heavily on Kojyuro not only as a strategist and teacher, but as a father figure to teach him right from wrong.

_'I can only imagine what sort of mischief he's gotten up to while I was gone. Masamune-sama can accomplish some impressive feats in the shortest amount of time.'_

"If we're going to separate, Kojyuro, I think it's – it's best if we part ways now," he could hear the shake in her voice when she spoke the words. She didn't _want_ to leave, but she had to. She had her duty. Kojyuro had his.

He was fully dressed within the hour, flexing his left hand. It was already midday – he could tell from the way the sun heated the machiya.

_'Already this late... I've shirked my duties long enough. Time to return. Damn, I hope Masamune-sama hasn't gotten himself into a big mess while I was away,'_ he stepped out of the machiya as Kasuga came running back to it, his sword in hand. She stopped several feet from him; she was hesitating.

Kojyuro strode towards her quickly before she could retreat with his weapon, pulling her into his arms; she dropped the sword, her arms coiling around his neck. He couldn't bring himself to kiss her again, no matter how tempting the thought was. Kissing her would only make it harder to leave.

Kasuga wasn't so resistant to the temptation but Kojyuro appreciated the kiss she planted on his cheek, against his scar. Her lips lingered there against his scar until he forced himself to lift his head. Before he could speak Kasuga pressed her finger to his lips.

"Until next time, samurai," she whispered, failing to mask the shake in her voice. Kojyuro frowned – she really didn't want to leave.

He humoured her all the same, "until next time, kunoichi," and before he could stop himself he hand swept back her bangs and kissed her forehead, making her breathe in sharply – the sound was a sad one.

Kojyuro bent and picked up his sword, sheathing it as he walked by her. Her hand trailed over his shoulder and he bit his lip to distract himself from reaching back. He relaxed only when he heard the sounds of her running off, away from him, back towards her duty.

As he set off for his trek back to Oshuu, he came across a dappled horse just outside the forest. It was tethered to a tree and grazing when he came across it.

Kojyuro shook his head, "Bunshichi, you really didn't have to leave your horse," though upon finding the message left in the saddle Kojyuro nearly threw a fit at being called an old man.

He quickly untethered the horse – the animal was finicky from being kept waiting so long – and kicked it into a gallop for exercise.

But the further the machiya fell behind him, the more empty Kojyuro found himself feeling; he wished he had never let Kasuga leave.

* * *

Oichi and Masamune will be in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

I once made an AMV to Nightmare's song "Lu-lu" that was MasaIchi. That's why "Lu-lu" is the title of this chapter.

I had planned to have some lime in this, but I am very tired, I have to pack for America which I go to in 3 days, and I have other things I need to do :/ So, MasaIchi Lime next chapter I really really really promise.

Plus, I think it's better that I didn't go right into the lime with MasaIchi like I did with KoKasu (you know, those two met and then got down and dirty pretty much one day after knowing each other) because I see MasaIchi as a love that takes time. Especially since Masa has feelings for Ichi that he doesn't know whether or not he should act on and Ichi is still suffering from a tortured heart. Kojyuro and Kasuga did what they did more so out of lust than for actual feeling...

Oh yeah. Also some Kojyuro x Suzu this chapter~ (if you don't know who Suzu is, she's the girl that has a crush on Kojyuro from season 1 ep. 3 and season 2 ep 2. Yeah, she's that girl. I think she's really cute plus an artist I stalk on Tegaki does a LOT of Kojyuro x Suzu art - at - at least I THINK it's Suzu haha!)

Also, I'm sure I made some mistakes on Japanese spellings (like "furaibo" and "itaidakimasu"); please bear it xDDDD" Google translate was unhelpful =( But... I tried.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Lu-lu.**

Masamune paced.

He paced and he paced and he paced, but nothing could keep his thoughts from drifting to the lecture he was _definitely_ going to receive from Kojyuro when his retainer returned. Masamune stopped pacing.

_'He's going to rupture my eardrums, or kill me, or both. Oh I am going to be in deep shit when he gets back...'_ the young general resumed pacing.

It wasn't his fault he had grown restless last night and decided to take his horse out for a joyride. The flight had made him all the more giddy because his men had given chase – he lost them and they found him several times until Masamune got his horse to climb up the side of a waterfall. His men damned his horse and its gravity defying wall-running.

And then Masamune had come across _her_.

The Sister of the Demon King, who currently lay unfazed by Masamune's pacing in the middle of the room, sleeping peacefully.

He stared at her, pausing mid-step. Perhaps if he hid her in a wardrobe and pretended nothing had happened -

"Hittou! Katakura-sama is back!" that was Bunshichi yelling from outside. Masamune felt the color drain from his face.

_'Shit. Shit this is not good,'_ he quickly strode out of the room. The sight that greeted him was of Kojyuro getting off his horse, a glare fixated on Bunshichi.

"I am _not_ an old man," Kojyuro's complaint reached Masamune's ears and made him snicker. His retainer's sharp eyes immediately honed in on him and Masamune adopted a straight face.

_'… that wasn't smart. Now he's going to know I did something ridiculously stupid,'_ Masamune smiled sheepishly and Kojyuro brought his hand up to his face. Masamune timidly approached him, squinting at his retainer's apparel.

He was a bit more disheveled than Masamune thought he would be, _'oh? Maybe he did a bit more than just fight with that kunoichi...'_ a smirk would have found its way to Masamune's lips if Kojyuro hadn't raised his head just then, eyes narrowed into a glare.

"_What_ did you do?" he demanded; Masamune turned around gesturing for Kojyuro to follow him. The general swallowed, _'right, here goes nothing.'_

"Well, Kojyuro, I kind of – you see, I got a little restless last night..."

"And?" Kojyuro followed him onto the deck.

"And I took my horse out for a ride..."

"And...?" Masamune nearly whimpered at the angry tone creeping into Kojyuro's voice.

"I have no idea how far I went but youknowIfoundtheDemonKing'ssisterandIkinda'kidnappedher," Masamune ducked his head upon leading Kojyuro to the room where the Demon King's sister was sleeping. He bit his lip as the seconds ticked by with Kojyuro standing in the doorway staring.

"... I leave you. For not even a day. How is it that you manage to pull off such _ridiculous_ feats in the span of _one night?_" Masamune knew that Kojyuro wasn't keeping his voice low for his sake, but for the sake of the woman. Masamune grinned at Kojyuro, attempting to dispel his retainer's anger.

"Because I'm the Dokuganryuu ? Ow ow ow ow!" Kojyuro had grabbed Masamune by his ear and proceeded to drag him out of the room.

"You are impossible. Insane. Irresponsible. I can't believe this. On top of that you _kidnapped her? KIDNAPPED HER! _What in the blaze's is _wrong with you_, Masamune-sama!" Kojyuro stormed down the deck with Masamune in tow. The general could feel tears pricking at his eye because of how tightly Kojyuro was pinching his ear.

"I know I'm not insane – OW!" Kojyuro jerked Masamune around the corner before he had much of a chance to defend himself, "Kojyuro come on!"

"I will 'come on' if you take her back to where you found her. She isn't a part of this army and for that matter, has probably taken charge of the Oda remnants which therefore makes her a general in her own right," Kojyuro stopped dragging Masamune and released his ear, turning around to face him. The two engaged in a staring contest.

_'I don't want to take her back. I found her, I get to keep her,'_ Masamune thought stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest, "if the Oda wanted her, they would have been there when I found her. She was wandering around near Echigo -"

"Echigo? You were near _Echigo?" _Kojyuro snapped, though Masamune noticed that his mentioning of the province had flustered his retainer. Masamune quickly took advantage of the fact.

"Huh? Something wrong Kojyuro? You seem bothered by the fact that I was near Echigo," his comment had the desired result; Kojyuro shut his mouth, reduced to blushing and glaring instead.

_'Hold up. Kojyuro's blushing? Kojyuro? Blushing? The only time he ever blushed was when he was forced to wear that Tengu mask in that stupid training dojo – and that was out of embarrassment,'_ Masamune poked Kojyuro in the forehead, "hey hey hey! Guess who's blushing?"

A vein in Kojyuro's forehead popped and Masamune regretted teasing him, "Masamune-sama, I recommend you speak to her about this matter, if you are so immature as to not return her to her army," Kojyuro turned on his heel and Masamune lowered his head, disgruntled.

"Uh! Kojyuro!" his retainer stopped but didn't turn around, "Suzu was looking for you. You should go see her..." Masamune noticed that Kojyuro had hung his head.

"Was she? I'll go see her then."

"Maybe you should go to the onsen first," Masamune suggested, turning around himself, "you have dirt on your face."

"Hm."

Masamune didn't wait for Kojyuro to leave; he left himself, heading back to the room where the Demon King's sister was. When he arrived her found that she had awoken, her sitting posture poised and perfect. He swallowed nervously.

"Good afternoon."

Her eyes widened briefly before flicking to him, and then she turned her head to face him, "Dokuganryuu."

"Si- Oichi, right? Your name is Oichi," Masamune sat down across from her, watching as she blinked at him.

"Yes, that is Ichi's name."

"Right. Then, my name is Masamune, not Dokuganryuu," he informed her. She toyed with her hair and nodded her head.

"Masamune-sama."

It felt odd to be called 'Masamune-sama' by someone other than Kojyuro, but it wasn't a bad-feeling odd. It was a nice odd - _'I like it.'_

"Masamune-sama, why did you kidnap Ichi?"

The young general blushed involuntarily at the question, "well I – you see – um – you – you looked lonely, so I just decided to scoop you up."

She actually giggled at his choice of words, "you scooped Ichi up. Ichi didn't know she could be scooped."

Masamune smiled; the scene of her laughing behind her hand was so cute. She looked happy.

"Hey, do you want me to take you back to the Oda? Because I would kind of have to. Kojyuro will have my head if I don't."

Ichi's smile instantly faded and her laughter was cut short. She stared at him, afraid, "you have to take Ichi back?"

Masamune amended his previous statement, "only if you want me to."

"Then Ichi wants to stay here," she placed her palms on the floor, her forehead following shortly after, "please let Ichi stay."

Masamune's eye widened and he grabbed her shoulders, jerking her into a sitting position, "oi, you don't need to bow like that, you see? If you don't want me to take you back I won't. You can stay."

She was overjoyed when she smiled at him. Her forehead pressed against his chest, "Ichi is grateful, Masamune-sama."

_'Ooh shit what do I do this is not what I expected haah-? Why is she hugging me now? Uh, uh, uh,'_ Masamune pressed his hand against the floor mat, his other hand resting on Ichi's back as she hugged him tightly around the torso.

_'Kojyuro what do I do?'_

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since he had gotten in the water. There was no one else there, which didn't surprise him; the soldiers had already gone to their rooms for the day. Of course Kojyuro should have returned to his room already but he had convinced himself that he hadn't left yet because the water was at a perfect temperature for once.

_'Of course that's a lie. Of course I'm not going back to my room because Suzu might be there, and I can't be with her. I'm not that cruel... am I?'_ he hung his head in guilt. He knew about Suzu's feelings for him, feelings that he couldn't respond to anymore because of a certain blonde kunoichi. How he wished he hadn't gotten so worked up when Masamune mentioned he had been near Echigo.

_'But what was the Demon King's sister doing there? Wandering aimlessly, or trying to go somewhere?'_ he sighed, leaning back against the smooth rocks, _'that stubborn brat. He's still got the mindset of a child. The whole 'finder's keepers' deal... he was always like that when he was young.'_

Even after Kojyuro had told his lord that he should take Oichi back to the Oda, Kojyuro knew that was highly unlikely. Masamune was too stubborn and proud to take her back, but Kojyuro had a hunch that Oichi didn't want to go back either.

He heard rustling cloth; someone else was coming in. He sighed again as he sat up straighter, only to have two arms wrap around his neck.

"Katakura-sama! Welcome back!" Kojyuro's lips parted at the sound of Suzu's soft, giddy voice. She was so different from Kasuga; she wasn't as harsh, stubborn or violent. Suzu was an ideal girl who would make the ideal wife. Kojyuro wrapped a hand around her wrist, tipping his head back.

"Suzu..." he muttered, bringing her hand to his lips, cracking open his eyes. She was blushing, as she always did when she was near him. She had such beautiful soft brown eyes.

She affectionately combed back his hair, tucking it behind his ear.

"Katakura-sama, how long have you been here? You haven't even washed your hair," she informed him, trailing her fingers over his left cheek; her touch lingered on his scar.

_'Of all the things I would forget to do...'_ he had washed himself minutes after coming to the onsen, but for once the thought of washing his hair had slipped his mind.

Suzu shifted behind him and Kojyuro lifted his head from her lap. She pulled her hand out of his – slowly – and walked over to a nearby shelf, her delicate fingers trailing over the various soaps there. Kojyuro let his eyes roam over her figure.

Sure, Suzu wasn't nearly as beautiful as Kasuga was, nor was she as skilled or as strong as her, but Suzu had her own charms. She was cute, she had an admirable personality and she was very gentle.

And she loved children. That fact was important to Kojyuro; the fact that she loved children. If there was anything he wanted before he died, it was children.

_'I wonder if she knows,'_ Kojyuro mused as she walked back over to him, her hips swaying just a little, _'I wonder if she knows that I've been with other women. That I could never let myself sleep with her.'_

She once again knelt down behind him and leaned forward to cup some water in her hands. He let her wash his hair. His eyes drifted shut to the feel of her fingers massaging his scalp.

_'She must know. I'm sure she's heard. The women in Oshuu do like to gossip, so she definitely knows.'_

His reasons for not sleeping with her were legitimate. He firstly didn't want to take advantage of her for her feelings towards him. Secondly, his heart had already betrayed him by beating sporadically for another woman. Thirdly, Suzu was too important to him, he couldn't let himself hurt her anymore than he knew the truth would. And lastly, she deserved better than him.

She was rinsing out his hair now, her fingers trailing over the shell of his ear; he shuddered, opening his eyes briefly before closing them again.

The seconds ticked by after she was done rinsing his hair and suddenly Kojyuro felt her lips against his forehead. Her lips migrated to his eye, then his cheek and then they were on his; her soft, small lips, on his. Suzu's initiative stunned him, though once he recovered he itched to thrust a hand into her hair.

He controlled himself only because she pulled back, cheeks bright red when he opened his eyes. There was determination in her brown orbs, however, and it worried Kojyuro.

"Suzu?" he ventured, voice soft. She ran her hand over his cheek, making his eyes widen slightly before she leaned over him again, kissing him boldly. Kojyuro could only resist the temptation for so long – he raised his hand to the back of her head, holding her lips against his.

But he had to remind himself that he didn't want to hurt her like this. He forced himself to pull his hand away and pushed it gently against her shoulder. Suzu slowly raised her head, staring at him confusedly, her cheeks still flushed.

"Katakura-sama?"

He didn't know how he should respond to her, so he muttered the first thing that came to mind, "not here."

Suzu's smile made his heart sink, "of course."

_'That was the stupidest thing I could have said. 'Not here' - for Kami's sake what am I thinking?' _in the distance he heard a voice calling his name; Suzu looked in the direction of gates, curious.

"It sounds like Masamune-sama is calling you," Suzu said, looking back down at Kojyuro. He nodded his head, standing up with his back to Suzu. He heard her squeak before he chanced a glance over his shoulder. She was hurrying out of the onsen, though she kept peeking over her shoulder. He only moved from his spot once she was out of sight.

* * *

"Kojyuro! Fuck, Kojyuro, where are you?" Masamune searched desperately for his retainer, randomly opening doors and startling his soldiers before closing the doors again.

_'… what am I getting so worked up over a hug for? Am I attracted to her?' _he snarled to himself as he stomped over the decks, _'what kind of dumb ass am I? It's obvious I'm attracted to her, you see? Why else would I kidnap her? Why else would I give Kojyuro the whole 'finder's keepers, losers weepers' deal?'_

"Kojyur- oh there you are! Gees!" Masamune stopped short on the deck, planting his hands on his hips. Kojyuro stared at him, towel on his head and a simple kosode on his body, complete with a plain obi and bare feet.

"What do you need, Masamune-sama?" Masamune flinched at the irritated tone in Kojyuro's voice.

"Oichi hugged me. Tightly," he blurted out, glaring at Kojyuro when the man snorted in an attempt to cover up a laugh.

"Did she, my lord? I don't see why that's something for you to worry about."

"It's _something_ for me to worry about if it makes my heart do a fucking butterfly's courtship dance," Masamune snapped, blushing. Kojyuro stared at him in surprise, lowering his hand that held the towel as a smile crept over his lips.

"My lord is growing up then."

"Your lord is worried about growing up," the general muttered in reply, scratching the back of his head. He listened as Kojyuro shuffled closer before ruffling his general's hair.

"Masamune-sama, I've already taught you everything, haven't I? But before we talk any more about that, what are your plans? Are you going to take her back?" Kojyuro moved his hand from Masamune's head to his shoulder, his expression serious. Masamune returned the look.

"She doesn't want me to take her back. Yeah, yeah, I know it would be more responsible of me to take her to the Oda, but she bowed to me, Kojyuro, she fucking _bowed_. She didn't need to _bow_ like that, not with her head on the mat..." Masamune looked down at his feet, tapping his toes against the deck. Kojyuro's hand dropped from his shoulder.

"I see. Then you have no choice but to let her stay. But why has a simple hug from her gotten you all worked up?" Kojyuro continued his interrogation and Masamune jerked his head up, wishing he was just that mere two inches taller to be level with Kojyuro.

"I already told you! It made my heart do this weird butterfly courtship dance -"

"Courtship dance? I'm surprised you would make your feelings so blatantly obvious," Kojyuro crossed his arms over his chest while Masamune fumed. A smirk made it's way onto Kojyuro's lips but it was quickly replaced by his usual stoic expression.

"Masamune-sama. Keep in mind that she is a woman. And according to all the gossip I hear from Suzu, you're rough with the women," Masamune groaned and Kojyuro continued, "you will hurt her."

The phrase prompted Masamune to stare at Kojyuro, lone eye narrowed, "what makes you so sure of that, Kojyuro?"

"You don't know how to be gentle. Oichi-hime is a fragile woman with a broken heart. Don't forget that she watched Azai fall before her eyes. He was her husband and though their marriage was arranged even I could tell that she truly loved him. If you really want to be with her you have to heal her broken heart first."

"And how do I heal her broken heart, huh? You said I wasn't gentle."

"But you can learn to be," Kojyuro rested his hand on Masamune's head again, giving him an encouraging smile, "try to avoid scaring her. Start with gentle caresses, holding her hand, comb her hair with your fingers. To get her used to you. To let her know that you're attracted to her," he tapped Masamune on the nose and turned, walking back down the deck, "if you need me I'll be in my room."

"Don't worry about it, Kojyuro. Just rest. Thanks," Masamune watched as Kojyuro waved and turned the corner. Masamune hurried back to Oichi's room, the thought of food crossing his mind. He practically threw open the door and made her jolt, her purple eyes fixated on him.

"Ichi! Are you hungry? I'll take you into the town, you see?" he held his hand out to her and she got up, a small smile on her lips already. Seeing that smile made Masamune's young mind giddy.

_'If being around me makes her smile – no, no don't get ahead of yourself. Stay cool. Take it slow. Do what Kojyuro said: hold her hand, comb her hair, touch her face... her face...'_ she had placed her hand in his though he noticed that her cheeks had a slight sheen to them. He caught her hand in a firm but gentle grip and leaned towards her, raising his free hand to her cheek. He squinted his eye in irritation at himself.

"Were you crying?" he muttered, squeezing her hand more tightly when she tried to pull away. She ducked her head in shame.

"I-Ichi was."

"I'm sorry. That was my fault wasn't it? Because I suddenly left you like that. I won't do it again, unless Oshuu is being invaded and my soldiers really need me. But only if they _really_ need me," he thought he heard snickering at his words and he leaned out the door, glaring down the hall. He was sure that was Yoshinao's pompadour he could see.

"Does – does Masamune-sama promise?" Oichi's voice was soft when she spoke to him. Masamune turned his eye back to her, disgruntled that she was the same height as him.

"Yeah, I promise."

"C-Can Ichi stay in Masamune-sama's room then? Only because... Masamune-sama promised Ichi..." she shifted nervously on her feet, her hand twitching in his.

Masamune could only stare, heat rising to his face more and more and when Oichi looked up at him she gasped.

"M-Masamune-sama! Are you all right? Does Masamune-sama have a fever?" she exclaimed, touching her free hand to his face which only served to make him blush harder.

_'Cool I thought I told you to be cool!'_ he scolded himself at getting worked up over her simple request. He gave his head a shake and smiled at Oichi.

"If you wanna' stay in my room, you can. But I go to the dojo to practice with Kojyuro in the early morning, so please don't start crying if I'm not there when you wake up."

"But Masamune-sama promised..." Oichi complained lightly, making Masamune laugh. She pouted at him then – or rather, attempted to pout. She only managed a slight purse of her lips, which made her look like she was going to start crying instead.

"Oi, oi, oi! Do you want me to wake you up and take you with me then?" he asked as he tugged her out of the room. Yoshinao was gone by now, probably going to report progress to the rest of the army.

"Ichi can watch Masamune-sama train?"

"If Ichi wants to," Masamune answered, leading her off the deck and towards the back gates. From there it was a short walk to the nearest town; the merchants were probably getting ready for supper.

_'Damn, it's already this late? Come to think of it, Kojyuro _did_ return in the early afternoon... hm... just what did he do with that kunoichi?'_ Masamune nearly chuckled to himself. According to Yoshinao the kunoichi was quite the exotic beauty: an hourglass figure and voluptuous breasts, complete with blonde hair and almond shaped, amber colored eyes. Her having blonde hair and almond shaped eyes struck Masamune as odd, since those weren't traits of a Japanese woman.

_'Not to mention the thought of her having voluptuous breasts. That's not very Japanese,'_ he caught himself glancing down at Oichi's chest and mentally slapped himself. The last thing he needed was for her to catch him staring at her chest.

"So is there anything you're interested in eating?" Masamune asked her once they had wandered further into the town. Villagers greeted Masamune left and right and he did his best to a least acknowledge them with a nod. Several made soft comments about his companion as they walked by him. A group of young woman strode giggling by, giving Masamune suggestive looks after staring pointedly at Oichi. He huffed at them, resisting the blush that threatened to rise to his cheeks.

"Can Ichi have ramen? Ichi would like ramen. Nii-sama never let Ichi eat ramen..."

"Well I'm not Oda so we're going to have ramen," Masamune tugged Oichi in the direction of a restaurant he knew made good ramen. Upon lifting the flap for Oichi to go inside he was instantly granted a table. Oichi was giddy, nibbling on her lower lip and staring at the bowls that were already being passed around.

Masamune checked his obi for ryo, mentally counting it to make sure he had enough.

"What would you have, my lord?"

"Two bowls of ramen," Masamune replied, nodding at Oichi. The man smiled, heading on his way to the kitchen.

_'Hm, I should talk to her. But what should I talk to her about? I think I should avoid talking about her past...'_ he furrowed his brow; Oichi was still looking around giddily, fiddling with her kosode, _'actually, I think I should talk to her about her past. Later. So I can understand her better,'_ Masamune smiled to himself. Kojyuro would probably approve of that plan.

"So Oichi, what were you doing around Echigo?" Masamune finally decided to ask. Oichi gave him her attention, her expression drooping.

"Ichi was... running away."

"Running away huh? From the Oda?"

"No... Ichi was running... from the Maeda," she admitted quietly, fiddling with her kosode again.

"You were running from the _Maeda?_" he asked, stunned. Why would she be running from the Maeda of all people? Even if Masamune didn't like the furaibo too much, he knew that the general – Toshiie – was a kind man and that his wife was even kinder.

"Why would you be running from the Maeda?" he demanded, searching her face for an answer. She nibbled on her lower lip before finally responding to him.

"The Maeda wanted Ichi to fight for them. But Ichi doesn't want to fight... Maeda-sama wouldn't understand Ichi so... so Ichi ran away."

_'Huh, well that explains why she was so close to Echigo,'_ Masamune was about to pursue the topic further but the man who had taken Masamune's order returned with two bowls of steaming soup. Ichi was immediately excited, nibbling on her lip again as her bowl was set down in front of her. Masamune pointed at the bowl with his chopsticks.

"Go ahead. Dig in."

"_Itaidakimasu,_" she muttered before eagerly grabbing some noodles in her chopsticks. Masamune was happy enough to just listen to her small sounds of glee every time she brought her chopsticks to her mouth. By the end of the meal he couldn't stop his smiling.

"Masamune-sama looks very happy," Ichi observed as they left the shop. Masamune quirked his eyebrow at her.

"And you looked like you really enjoyed the food," he retorted as he stood. Once they were finished with the store, they left, and Masamune guided her back to the where the army stayed.

* * *

Yes I thought the idea of Masamune spazzing out over a hug was cute xDD Countervail should be next. Hopefully. Stupid tiredness =_=


End file.
